Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-02-02
CLEVER MUSICAL pLAeIARIsrs.


How Popular Songs Are Produced-In-
stances of Direct Appropriation.
ssI never could understand how all the
music in the world is made out of seven
little notes.
It is curious, but its true.
The most sublime oratorio, the most
captivating opera, the most ravishing
waltz, is composed of the seven little
notes repeated and used in combinations.
To the average person it is astonishing
how much originality there is in the
countless compositions of a musical char
acter. However, plagiarism in music Is
as roundly censured as plagiarism in lit
erature. Does it ever strike you when
you hear something pretty that it resem-
bles piece, although you can't tell
what it is, that you have heard before.
The assertion can be boldly made that at
least half of the popular ballads of tho
past ten years have been 'ssteals" from
other creations, which have either gone
out of print or are so slillfully con-
structed as to deceive the ear unaccus-
toned to listening to much music.
The best American ballad writer's and
this is pre-eminently the country for ball
lads--are the cleverest plagiarists. Mr..
G. III. Hopper, of this city, who has
written some taking songs, among which
is ssWhen the Moons Behind the Cloud
knows how the thing is done, and he re-
Gently gave the results of his experience
and investigations. Everybody went wild
over "All on Account of Eliza, in
"Billee Taylor but they did not suspect
that it was taken almost note for note
from Mendelssohn s oratorio of EST. Pau"
the chorus, ''How Lovely Are the Mes
sengers." Joe Emmet's s'Love of the
Shamrock is nothing more nor less than
an old church hymn, "Gates Aiar.
Claribel's ''You and T. has been worked
over into Twinkle, Little Star. I" ssSome-
body's Coming When the Dewdrops
Fall'' is very similar in tune and compo-
sition to Chopin's funeral march
The young lady who sings 'sWhen the
Robins Nest Again" and s'Wait Till the
Clouds Roll By can find nearly the same
notes in maid of Athens and blue
Bells of Scotland. = The chorus of the
so-called patriotic creation, ''America's
Emblem" is cribbed entirely from San
keys "Pull for the Shore" That favor
ite of Scanlan "Peek-a-Boo, . is the coun-
terpart of an expired copyright German
song by Krohn, called 1.-THE Cavaliers
Whisper" The only difference in the two
is that the old song is given in slower time
by quartering a few eighth notes. In his
extravaganza, ssAdonis, which has had
such run in New York, the two sue
cessful songs, ''It's English, You Know, =
and 1.-The Susceptible Statuette, . are
transpositions Of the "FIying Trapeze,' =
once very popular comic musical crea-
ton, and the gem of 1.-THE Beggar Stu
dent, 80 He, Mamma - Comparatively
few of the American song writers display
any originality, but direct their energies
toward producing something that viii
sell.
Several men have made fortunes from
the receipts Of songs. The proceeds Of
'sGrandfather's Clock" were $40, 900.
PUT Ne in My Little Bed Silver
Threads Among the Gold'' and ssSweet
By-and-By" coined money for the pub
fishers. Only now and then song il
written which lasts more than two wears.
The once famous ssShoo-Fiyv went an
Like rocket-one season it was all the
rage, and the next it was not heard of
anywhere. At the present time ssCaII
Ne Back Again" and white Wings
@~e.AAA ~ AAMfC 0AA ultE1AAAtAE grip DfJDfA TIC
affections of the masses. The former
composition is almost identical with an
Irish ballad, ssNoah Dash Maereen. .
Frank Howard, the minstrel, has made
fortune out of the three songs, I'm
Await My Love, ssOnly a Pansy Bios
som" and when the Robins Nest
Again" 1t is claimed that Howard
did not write any Of them, but purchased
the manuscript from q New Yorker
named Spencer. Poor Jim Stewart. Of
this city, who died in the workhouse.
gave to the world two ballads which
made him famous. .sOn1y to See Her
Face Again is sung il every home. and
The Cricket on the Hearth il one of
the most pleasing waltz songs inaagina-
bic. Stewart's career promised brilliant
results, but drink caused his ruin. The
instances Of appropriation Of other musi.
cal genius might be multiplied indefi-
nitely. Cincinnati Enquirer.